An overview of the recent developments around Aadhaar, government policies and courts observations.
Government attempts to restore Common Services Centre
The government of India is trying to restore the Aadhaar Service Operation at 300,000 common services centre (CSC), Ravi Shankar Prasad, the Union minister for electronics and IT, said addressing Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), recently. The VLEs were essentially responsible for running these centres. However, after the complaint of corruption and enrolment process violation, the UIDAI directed CSC to exit from the Aadhaar system in a phased manner in February. Read more at The Indian Express.
Delhi HC asks why biometrics cannot be used to identify the dead
Hearing a plea filed by Social Activist Ashok Sahni, the Delhi High Court asked the Centre why the Aadhaar system cannot be used to identify the dead if the same system is used to trace missing children. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao asked the UIDAI and the Centre to respond to it by February 5. Earlier, social activist Amit Sahni had filed the petition seeking court’s direction to utilise Aadhaar biometrics to identify unidentified dead bodies. More on The New Indian Express.
NPCI suspends eSign- based eMandates
Almost two months after the Supreme Court judgement, the NPCI has issued a circular announcing the suspension of eKYC-based eMandates. NPCI CEO Dilip Asbe said that this decision was taken in compliance with the Supreme Court order which disallowed private companies from asking for Aadhaar authentication for eKYC from users. This is bound to hit digital lenders, especially FinTech start-ups. More on the Economic Times.
BSNL to offer Aadhaar services
Over 3,000 customer service centres of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will join the banks and post offices that provide Aadhaar updation and enrolment facilities. The project will cost around Rs 90 crore and will be set up in next three months. More on Business Today.
